From May 1, dependant’s pass holders will need to obtain work passes if they want to work in S’pore
SINGAPORE — From May 1, spouses and family members of foreigners working in Singapore who hold dependant's passes (DP) will need to obtain a work pass in order to work here, the Manpower Ministry announced on Wednesday (March 3).
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Currently, DP holders who want to seek employment only have to get a Letter of Consent (LOC) from the MOM.
The change means that spouses and other dependants of work pass holders will be subject to the same requirements as all other foreigners if they want to work in Singapore.
Said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo: “We will provide sufficient time for existing DP holders working on an LOC, as well as their employers, to transit to this new arrangement. Most of them meet prevailing work pass criteria. Those that do not will have to cease working in Singapore.”
She said that most DP holders do not work during their stay in Singapore — they represent about 1 per cent of all work pass holders.
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Existing DP holders who are currently employed can still continue working until the expiry of their LOC.
When the LOC lapses, employers of DP holders will need to apply for an applicable work pass if they wish to continue hiring them.
The MOM will “facilitate the transition to a work pass”, it said in a factsheet released to the media during the parliamentary debate into its budget.
The relevant qualifying salary, dependency ratio ceiling, as well as levies for the respective work passes will apply for these employers, the ministry added.
The move is intended to align the requirements for DP holders who wish to work in Singapore with those for all other foreigners working here, and will bring consistency to recent updates to the work pass framework, said the ministry.
The framework was tightened in last year’s Unity Budget by raising the salary requirements for Employment Pass holders — from S$3,900 to S$4,500, and to at least S$5,000 for those in the financial services sector. S-Pass qualifying salaries were also raised as well.
The MOM has also recently tightened other rules on family members of foreigners. Last November, it told intra-corporate transferees — foreign employees who were posted here by their multinational corporations — not to bring their family members to Singapore under DPs or long-term visit passes, according to The Straits Times.
DP HOLDERS WHO OWN BUSINESSES
An exemption is granted for certain business owners who hold DPs, according to MOM.
The ministry said these DP holders can continue running the businesses with an LOC if their businesses create local employment.
They will have to fulfil the following criteria:
The DP holder is a sole proprietor, partner, or company director with at least 30 per cent shareholding in the business
The business hires at least one Singaporean or permanent resident who earns at least the prevailing Local Qualifying Salary (currently S$1,400) and receives Central Provident Fund contributions for at least three months
The Local Qualifying Salary is a pay level for locals used by MOM to determine whether local workers are meaningfully employed and not just given token salaries to allow the employer to hire foreign workers.
If DP holders own businesses that do not meet the criteria, they will be allowed to run the business until the LOC expires.
They may also apply for a one-off extension of their LOC until 30 April 2022 when next renewing their DP, said the MOM.
“Thereafter, they will need to meet the criteria... in order to renew their LOC, or obtain an applicable work pass to continue working in Singapore,” it said, adding that more details of the changes will be released on May 1.
Comments
yap, may mga tatamaan na kababayan natin dyan
Marami talaga mga foreigner not just pinoy holding work pass at dependent pass mahihirapan ngayon sa bagong rules nila about foreign employment.
Sana hindi nalang nila tanggalin kundi yung mga May dp Pwede mag work only in fnb and sales and customer service line or mga jobs ayaw ng mga local.
Kaloka masasayang dp ko pagbalik ko sg.
Ano po ba main reason ng govt? Para iprioritize yung mga local/pr na nawalan ng work dahil sa pandemic? O pang long term reason na bawasan yung mga foreigners?
Pahirap na ng pahirap talaga.
@Samantha1 sana nga yung mga kulang sa tao, pinayagan pa rin. pero kung hindi mapapalitan, lahat ng sektor ay apektado
@Jamila ok pa rin DiPi mo kaso lang, need na ng S or E pass kung magtratrabaho
@ryanc sa tingin ko ay sa ngayon, yung una mong sinabi. pero matagal na din kasing unti-unting nagbabawas bago pa man ang pandemya.
pero wag pa ring mawalan ng pag-asa, kung desidido at handa sa mga magiging resulta, subok lang ng subok
@kabo sir my ask po ako di ko masyado inintindi bad news kc hehe pwede p rin po ba mag stay sa sg si spouse nka dp holder pero un lng di mkakahanap work agad unless un employer iapplay ako ng s pass. Thanks po sir ?
Sana makarecover ang sg 1 or 2 yrs bka mag himala babalik din ang lahat dami talaga napauwi kabayan at ibang foreigner dasal lng talaga para bumalik sa normal. ?
@Jamila wala naman na-mention na bawal mag-stay kasi and DP ay valid pass pa rin naman. yung sa work lang ang tatamaan kasi need na ng s or e pass. and isang naisip ko lang, pag nakakuha ka na ng s o e pass, wala ka ng dp. so if ever, panibagong apply na naman ng dp pag nawalan ka na ng working pass. so may risk din
sana nga makabawi na para makapag-work na ulit yung mga natamaan ng pandemya
@kabo thanks po sa info sir
Me update po ba kayo sa status ng approval ng DP ngayun, mahirap pa rin ba?
@ITS_Ako pwede po mag-apply Work Permit under DP expiration sya.
Ask lang po. Na approved po kasi yong DP ng asawa ko. Puede na ba yong IPA lang ang ipakita sa immigration sa atin?
Question about DP. Tlaga bang fixed salary dpat ay 6k pataas. Meaning kpag below 6k ay tlgang walang pagasa makakuha ng DP? Below 6k kasi aq pero gusto ko sana ikuha ng DP wife and kids ko...
Nagbasa aq s MoM tlgang 6k ang nakasulat. Just checking lng if may ibang way. Salamat
@zhypher33 Yes, you are right! Earn a minimum fixed monthly salary of $6,000. This is based on your salary, and not based on your combined household income.
There's no other way . You ask may your employer to increase you salary.
@carpejem employer lng po b pwede mag apply ng DP? hindi pwede ako mismo? May mga nagssbi po kasi n ung iba kahit hindi 6k sahod nakakakuha ng DP eh?
@zhypher33 your company will apply under your Name. you can do it as long na alam mo yung profile details.
Not sure about 3rd question.
@zhypher33 yung company mo lang pwede mag apply ng DP (unlike LTVP ng mga Singaporean/PR). And ang pwede lang mag-access ng application page is yung may MOM Corppass access sa company nyo, not just anyone from your company.
pwede ba e apply ng work permit ang DP of epass? wala kasi quota for S
@Samantha1 Yup can apply! The Work Permit’s validity period will be tied to that of the DP